Late last year, Urban Boys member Safi Madiba Niyibikora quit the group after an illustrious music career that spawned over 70 singles and six studio albums. The singer was determined to build his solo career and just a few months after leaving the group, he released his fourth song titled, My Hero. He is currently under newly established music label The Mane. Sunday Magazine’s Sharon Kantengwa had a chat with the singer on his career after breaking away from the group.

What has music been like without Urban Boys?

Leaving Urban Boys was a tough decision for me but I had to because life dictates the path we follow. Ever since I went solo, everything has gone on as planned because I work alone and I’m therefore able to make my own decisions. Being part of a group has its benefits but the downside is the high level of compromise that comes with not being able to make your own decisions. I’m glad that even when I took this tough decision and doing music freely people are appreciating it. For me this more like a re-bond with my people.

What do you attribute this progress to?

Before I left Urban Boys, I had everything well planned for me. I made inquiries with people well conversant with the music industry and pleaded for their support after I explained my decision to leave the group. Some people believed in me while others didn’t, but I knew that I was going to make it because of the support that I had.

There is speculation about the future of Urban Boys. What do you make of that?

They are talented singers and still working. I do not see why people should speculate about their future because they have their own formula of how they want to do things. I cannot say much about them because I am no longer part of the group.

You were recently signed to new music record label, The Mane. Why did you choose to work with them?

The CEO of The Mane, Ramadhan Mupenda, is my longtime friend and I used to encourage him to invest in our local music industry. This is the first time he’s contributing to the music industry but I’ve always known how much he would help me grow. I see his passion and ability to take the local music ahead and I want to be a part of this.

What should your fans expect from you this year?

I work for my fans and so I have bigger plans for them. I hope to be releasing my first album this year and I want to work with international artistes to expand my music further. I have already identified two international artistes that I will be working with although I cannot confirm this yet.